County set to consider £4.6 budget cuts

Councillors in Denbighshire are set to discuss budget cuts that could save the authority £4.6 million over the next two financial years - in response to the Welsh Government announcement that  the financial settlement for the county was going to be worse than expected.
Over recent months, the council has scrutinised all aspects of its work, with all services putting forward proposals for cuts.  

Discussions have been taking place over recent weeks and the first set of proposals will be discussed by councillors at a full cuncil meeting in County Hall, Ruthin on Tuesday, September 9, at 10am.

The implication of  Welsh Government's announcement is that Denbighshire County Council will need to find £18m over the next two years.

All proposals are subject to debate by council and  further proposals will need to be worked-up over the coming months in order to achieve the savings target.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance and Assets, said: "Over recent years, the Council has found its savings with little or no impact on frontline services.  

"We made a commitment to protect these services and jobs wherever possible and we believe we have been successful in doing this to date. However, with the significant financial savings we need to make over the coming years, inevitably there will be an impact on services, as we look to reduce or stop services altogether.  

"We have been working very pro actively as a council on developing our budget strategy for 2015/6 and beyond,  to ensure that we are not having to take knee jerk reactions late in the year. We have developed a new system for providing our councillors with choices over where we make our reductions in budget and we have worked our way through detailed discussions on each and every one of our service areas."

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: "We have done as much as we can through careful financial planning. The time has now come for very difficult decisions. 

"The financial settlement we are expecting from the Welsh Government later this year is expected to be worse than predicted, with the Minister announcing in June that we would need to find an additional £3 million on top of the £6 million cuts we were already planning to find.  

"That does mean that there are tough decisions ahead and a lot of our proposals will need to be worked up in terms of the finer detail.  Communication with our communities and residents is key and we are making a firm commitment to sharing the finer details when we are in a position to do so."

Lager chocolate to be launched at Hamper Llangollen

 

* Jo Edwards with her Wrexham Lager chocolate truffles.

 

Innovative chocolatier Jo Edwards is launching a new milk chocolate truffle with a heady ingredient - Wrexham Lager.

 

Jo, 40, whose company, Aballu Truffles, is based in Rossett, near Wrexham, will be unveiling the new truffles at the Hamper Llangollen food festival on October 18-19.

 

The new truffles are already a big hit at Wrexham Lager, the iconic brand that was first brewed in the UK back in 1881 and served on the ill-fated Titanic in 1912.

 

Jo sent a batch to be tested by the discerning palate of company director Mark Roberts.

But the Wrexham Lager Truffles were intercepted by head brewer Ian Dale, a self-confessed chocoholic, who promptly scoffed the lot.

 

Ian said: "I must say they were absolutely delicious. The texture was really creamy - definitely my idea of chocolate heaven."

 

Jo is a regular at Hamper Llangollen - recently named as one of the top 10 food festivals in the UK - which is being supported by the rural development agency, Cadwyn Clwyd.

 

Cadwyn Clwyd’s contribution comes via the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

 

Jo came up with the idea for using Wrexham Lager when she was considering how to develop a chocolate treat aimed particularly for men.

 

And being Wrexham born and bred, and with her parents having run a pub, including a taste of Wrexham Lager in her new creation was the obvious choice.

 

Jo said: "I was looking at coming up with some ideas for a new truffle which would be particularly aimed at the male of the species.

 

"I grew up in Wrexham and Wrexham Lager is closely associated with the town.

 

"I remember the old brewery in the town and with my parents having run a pub in Brymbo near Wrexham, I thought Wrexham Lager was a great choice."

 

Although the new truffle is aimed at men, the taste has gone down a treat with women who have been lucky enough to try out the new creation.

 

Jo said: "I am still in the process of developing the exact taste but I asked some local food producers who I know to give it a try as part of the trial process.

 

"They all happened to be female and they really liked it so the truffle will go down well with men and women.

 

"It has been really well received so far and although it is still under development I think it will do really well."

 

Jo said fans of Wrexham Lager will be able to identify the unmistakable taste of the well loved lager when they bite into the truffle.

 

She said: "The lager is used to get the texture and flavour of the truffle.

 

"There is enough in there to get the Wrexham Lager flavour coming through.

 

"You can tell there is that lovely maltiness you get in the lager."

 

The talented chocolatier said she was delighted to be able to launch her new product at Hamper Llangollen.

 

Jo started her Aballu truffles and artisan chocolatier business in 2006 and has attended the festival every year ever since.

 

She said: "There is always a great atmosphere at the festival and you get a real variety of top class food and drink.

 

"People always enjoy it and it is great to be involved with something so successful."

 

The festival was named by the Independent newspaper as one of the Top 10 food festivals in the UK and Jo predicted the event would have another successful year this year.

 

She said: "I have always done well there and it is a fantastic event.

 

"Exhibitors come from all over the area and from further afield because people in the food and drink industry know it is a fantastic showcase for their products."

 

Jo added she would be continuing to come with more unusual and innovative concoctions in the future for her chocolate creations.

 

She said: "I am always looking to do something different, something a bit unusual.

 

"I have put together ingredients just to see how they work out and they have been successful.

 

"There is chilli ginger and lime for example or blackcurrant and rosemary.

 

"There is always something different to do."

 

Jo's innovations have also secured her a host of prestigious awards.

 

Her chilli ginger and lime treat won her a prestigious Great Taste Award.

 

She said: "It was great to have it recognised. I have won two Great Taste Awards now. 

 

"We were also named the 2nd Most Loved Confectioner in the UK as part of the Best of "Local and Loved" competition.

 

"It is based on the number of testimonials that your customers take time to write and submit to Best Of.

 

"It means a lot to us that we got the award because of testimonials."

 

Also starring at Hamper Llangollen 2014 will be two of Wales's top chefs.

 

Graham Tinsley, the star of ITV's Taste the Nation and a former captain of the Welsh Culinary Team, will be joined in the show kitchen by the ever popular Dai Chef, who is now based at Bodnant Welsh Food, the centre of excellence for Welsh food in the Conwy Valley.

 

Cadwyn Clwyd's Agri Food Officer, Robert Price, believes this year's festival is going to be one of the best ever.

 

He said: “Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies like Aballu Truffles, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality cuisine.

 

“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of our rural economy.

 

"The location of the Pavilion is absolutely spectacular - I can't imagine that any other food festival in the UK has a more beautiful setting."

 

For more information about Aballu go to www.aballu.co.uk and for more information about Hamper Llangollen 2014 visit  www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

Bookings being taken for Open Doors weekend

Booklets giving details of events planned for the Llangollen Open Doors weekend on September 13 and 14 are now available at the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) and Llangollen Museum. 

Some of the events listed need to be pre-booked, since there are only a limited numbers of places available. 

 

You can book now at Llangollen TIC for:

 

·        Talk and Tour of Plas Newydd at 11am, Saturday and Sunday

 

·        Talk and Tour of Plas Newydd Garden at  2pm, Sunday

 

·        Performance of George Borrow & Friends – tales for four voices at the Conference Room, Gales Hotel, 11am and 3pm, Saturday

 

*        Tour of Llangollen Railway Engineering Sheds at 11am and 2pm, Saturday and Sunday

 

·        Architectural Tour of Llangollen at 12 noon, Saturday and Sunday.

Memory Lane tours at Dinas Bran School can be booked through the school office on 01978 860669.

Labour says more people struggle to pay their rent

Labour politicians have hit out over a rise in the number of people asking for financial support as they struggle to pay their rent because of what the call ‘crippling’ UK Government cuts.

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates says figures he has obtained show an increase in the number of individuals and families asking local councils for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) to make ends meet.

DHPs are given at each local council’s discretion to those who qualify for housing benefit but are having trouble paying their rent or finding enough money to pay for the start-up costs of a tenancy.

The data obtained by Mr Skates under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that last year Denbighshire paid out £223,896 to residents, an increase of almost 600% from four years ago (£37,505).

Mr Skates said: “These numbers are a stark reiteration of the fact that the savage cuts made by the Tory-led UK Government through its crippling austerity programme are really hurting people here in Clwyd South and across Wales.

“The coalition’s ideologically driven and spiteful welfare reform agenda has created the cost-of-living crisis they continue to deny and left Welsh people hundreds of pounds worse off a year through benefit caps and their abhorrent bedroom tax.

“While Cameron and Osborne continue to churn out statistics which claim the economy is recovering, the majority of us know different. Life isn’t lived on graphs and pie charts, and next year’s General Election will be the first since records began where living standards are lower than the previous one.

“The Tories’ benefit changes have not made any kind of positive impact or made the system fairer in any way, and they are doing nothing to tackle the problems that they have inflicted on so many hard-working people and families.”

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones said: “These figures are very concerning and show the huge demands on local councils, like Wrexham, who are doing their best to help local people in the face of David Cameron's Government’s policies.

“I am a strong supporter of serious and proper welfare reform in this country that doesn't flinch from being tough in tackling abuse, but is also supportive of people in genuine need.  I am very glad that a future Labour Government is committed to repealing the bedroom tax – something that will make a big difference for many families from our area.”

Attract more foreign visitors to Wales, says AM

A leading Liberal Democrat says more needs to be done to attract foreign tourists to Wales.

Speaking following today’s publication of tourism statistics which show that fewer than 1% of tourists visiting Wales come from outside the UK, Eluned Parrott AM, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Economy Minister, said: “Wales is not attracting enough tourists from overseas.

 

"With Cardiff only two hours away from London by train, and Pembrokeshire and the Brecon Beacons not much further, there’s a clear ability for us to sell ourselves as an accessible and attractive destination for foreign tourists.

 

“Millions of tourists from abroad head to London every year. Many just stay there, a few head to places like Bath, Oxford and Scotland, but we need to encourage them to visit Wales too.

 

“Events such as the Ryder Cup and this week’s NATO Summit are putting Wales on the map. Now we need to ensure those who’ve seen Wales on TV or read about us in the newspapers come and see what we can offer for themselves.

 

“The Scottish Government spends £47million per year selling Scotland to the world, the Welsh equivalent spends just £7million. It’s clear that the Welsh Labour Government needs to up its game in promoting Wales to the world.

 

“Wales has wonderful natural and manmade attractions which we should be proud of, and we should be encouraging all we can to bring the world to see them.”

Old Lock-up opens to public again

 

* An early drawing of the Old Lock-up.

 

The Old Lock-up and Old Town Hall, Victoria Square, Llangollen, held an open day on July 27, and it was a great success with nearly 100 visitors in a matter of hours.

 

They enjoyed a look at the plans the Armoury Conservation Trust - now a registered charity - has for the renovation and future community use of the Old Town Hall on the upper floor.

Visitors were also able to view new interpretive material in the Old Lock-up on the ground floor, which has been nearly fully restored and presents a unique and authentic view of how the Llangollen's first gaol and police station were used and would have appeared in the mid-1800s, complete with policeman's hat, handcuffs and a very heavy truncheon.

Previous visitors to the Lock-up who wished to catch up with its prisoner found that he has apparently been deemed a flight risk, as he now sports a weighty ball-and-chain.

The Old Lock-up will again take part in Denbighshire's Open Doors heritage weekend, 13 and 14 September, from 12-4pm, and anyone willing to volunteer to help for even a portion of those hours will be most welcome. The Lock-up is also seeking longer-term interest in the form of a Friends of the Old Lock-up, who will receive training in how to guide visitors and interpret this fine heritage asset for them.

 

In both cases, please contact Sue Hargreaves and Rachel Morris at armouryconservationtrust@gmail.com.

Woman hurt in weekend cycling race

The BBC is reporting this evening how a woman was injured while taking part in a cycling race near Llangollen yesterday (Sunday) afternoon.

For the full story see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-29018316